Cigarette case ejector mechanism



March 10, 1942. c, w, JULIAN CIGARETTE CASE EJECTOR MECHANISM Filed June 27, 1940 lNVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS fiai? 50.14

4 (mews WJl/LMN Patented Mar. 10, 1942 '7 Claims.

disposed in a plurality of rows extending in a zigzag path transversely of the package. When such packages are employed as a container and the cigarettes taken therefrom as required for use, the package frequently becomes crumpled and the tobacco in the cigarettes becomes loose and falls from the package into the users pocket in an undesirable manner.

By reason of the difiiculties encountered in the use of the original package as a container for cigarettes, cigarette cases have come into common use. However, such cases usually em ploy clamping or holding means for holding the cigarettes in place and, unless ejecting mechanism is provided for ejecting the cigarettes from the case, it is necessary to manually release the holding mechanism to extract the cigarette. Cigarette cases in use which employ ejecting mechanism have an undesirable feature in that it is necessary to go to considerable trouble to charge or load the cigarette case. This operation usually involves the taking of cigarettes individually from the original package in which they were sold and individually placing the cigarettes in position with respect to the ejector mechanism. In addition to the time required for such loading, the manual handling of the cigarettes results in a loosening of the tobacco therefrom.

Accordingly, one of the principal objects of this invention is to provide a cigarette case to which the contents of a conventional package of cigarettes may be readily transferred with a novel form of ejecting mechanism for ejecting the cigarettes therefrom.

A further object is to provide, in a cigarette case of the character referred to, ejecting mechanism which is arranged transversely of the case in a zigzag path in a manner to correspond to the rows of cigarettes extending in a zigzag path transversely of the conventional package.

A further object is to provide in a cigarette case, a plurality of ejector devices together with a common actuating member which will be effective in a single operation tosuccessively impart ejecting movements to the ejector devices at different times so as to eject individual cigarettes from the case at different times.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description.

In the drawing- Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a cigarette case constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention.

Figure 2| is a top plan view of the cigarette case shown in Figure l and illustrating the mannor in which the cigarettes are received therein from a conventional type cigarette package.

I Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a View similar to'Figure 3 and showing the position of the ejector devices after operation to eject cigarettes from the case.

Figures 5, 6, and 7 are respectively top plan views of the individual ejector devices shown in Figures 3 and 4.

Figure 8 is a sectional view similar to Figure 3 showing a modified form of ejecting mechanism. Figures 9, 10 and 1 respectively are top plan, side elevational, and end elevational views of one of the ejector devices shown in Figure 8.

Figures 12, 13 and 14 respectively are top plan, side elevational, and end elevational views of an.- other of'the ejector parts shown in Figure 8.

Figures l5, l6, and 1'7 respectively are top plan, side elevational, and end elevational views of another of the ejector devices shown in Figure 8.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral l8 indicates a cigarette case preferably formed of a suitable and substantially rigid non-elastic material, and having an opening IS in the top thereof through which cigarettes may be charged into and dispensed from the interior of the case l8. A suitable cover (not shown) may be employed for covering and uncovering the opening IS. The interior dimensions of the case l8 are formed to correspond with the interior dimensions of the shown in Figures 1 to 4. To facilitate the charging container |8 with the contents of a conventional package of cigarettes, the edges of the container surrounding the opening I 9 are beveled or chamfered as at 20. The construction of the container I8 is such that the individual cigarettes will be as tightly packed therein as they are in the original package.

Referring particularly to Figures 3 to 7, individual ejector devices 2| 22 and 23 having a common operating member 24 positioned outside the case l8, ar provided for ejecting cigarettes from the case l8. The ejector devices 2|, 22, and 23 are cylindrical elements having a diameter substantially the same as the diameter of a cigarette and are arranged in a zigzag path transversely of the case l8, as along the line 3-3 of Figure 2. The middle ejector element 22 is provided with a slot 24 extending substantially half the length thereof and the ejector element 23 is provided with a slot 25 extending substantially the entire length thereof. The ejector element 2| is connected to the actuating member 24 by operating members 26. Extending outwardly from the base of the ejector device 2| is a V-shaped member 21 adapted to operate the ejector devices 22 and 23 in a manner to be described. The slots 24' and 25 are arranged as indicated by the dotted lines in Figures 5 and 6 to permit upward movement of the V-shaped member 21 with respect to the ejector devices 22 and 23. Initial upward movement of the member 24 will impart an ejecting movement to the cigarette positioned over the ejecting device 2| since the ejector device 2| is directly connected to the member 24. As upward movement of the member 24 is continued, the V-shaped member 27 will be moved upwardly until it contact the upper limits of the slot 24', at which point, the ejector device 22 will be moved to impart an ejecting movement to the cigarette positioned thereover. Continued upward movement of the member 24 will cause the member 21 to ride upwardly until it contacts the upper limits of the slot 25, at which point, the member 23 will be moved to eject a cigarette positioned thereover.

Upward movement of the member 24 will be limited by engagement of the connecting members 26 with the upper edges of a slot 28 formed in the case I8 and through which the connecting devices 2'6 extend, the slot- 28 serving as a guide for the manual operating device 24. The ejector devices 2|, 22, and 23 will be positioned as shown in Figure 4, when the member 24 is moved to its uppermost position.

In Figures 8 to 17, there is shown a modified form of ejecting mechanism, and in this showing, the case I8 is provided with a projecting surface 29 to provide a space 30 for ejector mechanism to be described. The ejector mechanism comprises superimposed angle members 3|, 32 and 33 having ejector devices 3|", 32' and 33', pcsitioned at the outer ends of the horizontal arms thereof.

The horizontal arm of the middle ejector device 32 is angularly inclined with respect to the horizontal arms of the angle members 3|, and 33, so that the ejector devices 3|, 32' and 33' will extend transversely of the container I8 in a zigzag path.

The vertical arms of the angle members 32 and 33 are provided with slots 34 and 35 of diiTerent lengths for a purpose to be described. An operating member 24" is located outside the case l8 and is connected directly to the vertical arm of the angle member 3| by an actuating member 36. The actuating member 36 extends through the vertical slot 28 formed in the case l8 and through the slots 34 and formed in the vertical arms of the angle members 32 and 33. In this construction, initial upward movement of the member 24" will impart an ejecting movement to the cigarette positioned over the ejector 3|. Continued movement of the member 24" will cause the actuating member 36 to contact the upper end of the slot 34 and thereupon an ejecting movement will be imparted to the cigarette positioned over the ejector element 32'. A upward movement of the member 24 is continued, the actuating member 36 will contact the upper edge of the slot 35 to impart an ejecting movement to the cigarette positioned over the ejector device 33'.

It will be noted that the actuating member 36 is common to each of the ejector devices 3|, 32 and 33, thereby enabling the member 24" to successively impart an ejecting movement to the cigarettes positioned transversely of the container H3 in a zigzag path at different times. Likewise, the ejector devices 2|, 22 and 23 are pro vided with a common actuating member which comprises the connections 26 and the connection of the V-shaped member 21 to the connections 26 through the body of the ejector device 2| thereby enabling the operating member 24 to successively actuate the ejectors 2|, 22 and 23.

As shown in Figure 1, it is contemplated that operating devices 24 or 24" be provided in a number corresponding to the number of transverse rows of cigarettes in a conventional type cigarette package. However, it will be understood that a lesser number may be employed since the difiiculty of removing cigarettes from the interior of the containers 8 or l8 will not be as great after a plurality of cigarettes have been removed from the container. In the arrangement shown, there is provided individual ejector devices for all of the cigarettes receivable within the container Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a cigarette case, in combination, a container, a plurality of sets of ejector devices in said container, and a separate actuating member movable different distances common to each of said sets of ejector devices for imparting successive ejecting movements to individual ejector devices at different times, the ejector devices having portions to coact with the actuating member at different times.

2. In a cigarette case, in combination, a container having a dispensing opening adapted to receive the contents of a conventional type cigarette package having a plurality of rows of cigarettes disposed transversely thereof in a zigzag path, a plurality of individual ejector devices located transversely of said container in a zigzag path comprising sets of ejector devices, each of said ejector devices being so positioned as to be directly under a cigarette in one of said transverse rows and being movable toward said opening for ejecting a cigarette from said container, and a separate actuating member movable different distances common to each said set of ejector devices for successively imparting ejecting movements thereto to eject the cigarettes from one of said transverse rows at difierent times, the ejectors having portions to coact with the actuating members at different times.

3. A cigarette case as claimed in claim 2, wherein said container is provided with a vertical guiding slot and said actuating member is positioned outside of said container available for manual operation, and a connecting member secured to said operating member and extending through said slot into an operative position with respect to each of said ejector devices.

4. A cigarette case as claimed in claim 2, wherein said plurality of ejector devices are arranged in a plurality of transverse zigzag rows corresponding in number and position to the rows of cigarettes in a conventional type package so as to provide an individual ejector for each cigarette, a separate actuating member being provided for each of said transverse rows of cigarettes.

5. In a cigarette case, in combination, a container having a dispensing opening, a plurality of ejector devices in said container extending transversely thereof in a zigzag path, an actuating member located outside said container, said container being provided with a longitudinal guiding slot, and an operating member connected to said actuating member for actuation thereby and extending through said guiding slot, said operating member having parts thereof engageable with said ejector devices at difierent times to successively impart ejecting movements to said ejecting devices at different times upon a single continued movement being imparted to said operating member.

6. A cigarette case as claimed in claim 5, wherein said ejector devices comprise cylindrical elements and said operatingf member extends transversely of said container, said cylindrical elements having parts thereof engageable with said operating member at difierent times so as to have ejecting movements imparted thereto by the operating member at successively different times.

7. A cigarette case as claimed in claim 5, wherein said ejector devices comprise a plurality of superimposedangle members having horizontal arms of different lengths, ejector parts secured to the outer ends of said arms, and vertical arms disposed adjacent said guiding slot, said vertical arms having parts engageable with said operating member at difierent times so as to have ejecting movements imparted thereto by the operating member at successively different times.

CHARLES W. JULIAN. 

